A Rain Interrupted Outreach – Salisbury Evangelism
The weather forecast told us today would be unpredictable. One moment it was sunny, then it was grey. As the outreach got underway, we found ourselves watching the sky closely.
I suspect the uncertainty surrounding the weather made Salisbury quieter than usual; however, there were still plenty of people to speak to about Jesus. Within minutes of starting, three ‘sisters’ from the Mormons stopped to chat. They gave me a picture of Jesus, and I gave them each a tract designed for Mormons. Our conversation was friendly, and we parted on good terms.
Paul commenced the preaching by asking, “Are You Good Enough to Go to Heaven?” Soon a man wearing a sombrero and carrying a homemade stringed instrument stopped to heckle. His heckles centred around greedy bankers and the abuse of the poor. He was quick to use the Ten Commandments to condemn them but wasn’t too keen when Paul turned the Law onto him. As the man walked off, a team member engaged him in conversation. Later in the outreach, the same man came past again, but this time he was silent. I noticed that he chatted with a team member and took a gospel tract.
As Paul finished preaching, the rain began to fall. We quickly covered the open-air board and the Free Bible table. Team members huddled under whatever shelter they could find and offered tracts to anyone brave enough to stay out in the rain. After about twenty minutes, the rain stopped. It was then my turn to preach.
For my message, I spoke on “Bridging the Gap.” As I preached, I noticed a man from the nearby building site was listening. There was also another man paying attention, who afterwards spoke to a team member. Unfortunately, at the end of my message, the builder disappeared back into the work site, so I couldn’t give him a tract.
Paul then preached again; this time on “The Reality is… God is Real!” After Paul, I finished the outreach by using the “Good Person Test.” At the end of my message, I offered copies of John’s Gospel to those who wanted more information about Jesus. Three people responded, including the builder from earlier, who came out to listen again.
Overall, today was challenging, but I rejoice that the gospel is still spreading. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we don’t know who is listening, so only eternity will reveal the impact of today’s outreach.
SDG!